1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a marine vessel toilet system, and more particularly to a marine vessel toilet system having a rechargeable battery system which can either be used as the primary power source for an electric marine vessel toilet or as a supplemental power source for the marine vessel toilet.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Marine vessel toilet systems have several operational requirements which are different from household toilet systems. One difference is that the bowl of the marine vessel toilet system is generally dry when the toilet is not in use, since the motion of the marine vessel could cause any water in the bowl to splash out of the bowl. It is also desirable to minimize the amount of water used to fill the bowl when it is used. This is because the toilet bowl is often evacuated to a holding tank for later disposal. Therefore, it is important to keep the amount of water held in the holding tank to a minimum. Furthermore, in some cases, the water input to the toilet bowl is drawn from the marine vessel's fresh water supply, in order to minimize any odors. Due to the finite amount of fresh water which can be stored on a vessel, it is important to minimize the amount of water used to operate the toilet system. The inventors of the present invention have found that electric toilets can be designed to use less water than their manually-operated counterparts.
However, on most small to medium-size boats, the common standard marine toilet is one that operates manually, rather than an electric-powered toilet. One of the reasons for this is the fact that electric toilets are generally more expensive than manual toilets. Another reason for the preference for manual toilets is the limited amount of power available on smaller marine vessels. Generally, a limited number of rechargeable batteries, hereinafter called "house" batteries, are used to supply power to the equipment on the boat, particularly the navigation systems, radios and other marine electronics, and also for starting the vessels motor(s). Due to the importance of the equipment which is being powered by the house batteries, many boaters are not willing to risk running out of power during a cruise because of the drain on the house batteries caused by an electric toilet. Therefore, many boaters elect to forego the convenience of an electric toilet in order to conserve the house batteries on the marine vessel.
What is needed, therefore, is a self-contained rechargeable battery system which can be used to power an electric marine vessel toilet, which will enable the use of an electric toilet on a marine vessel without relying on the vessel's house batteries for power.